250 2 stroke bikes

[ny300exrider]

im thinking about getting a bike to play around with when my dad wants to use the 400ex and to work on becoming skilled at dirtbiking since ive been riding quads for 6 years and am looking for another challange.

there are lots of nice looking 250 smokers on craiglist local for reasonable prices....wondering what you guys think about them since im not very familiar

i ride mostly open feilds, sandpits, and powerline trails with the occasional tighter trail here and there. i like sand hills, small jumps, and GOING FAST. im always 5th pinned on my 400ex through the feilds wishing i had more power.....

how are the 250s reliability wise?
how do they compare to a 125?
any certain brands better or worse than others?

i can get 250s for the same or a few hundred more than the 125s around here....like i said i want a challange and want speed so why not go for the bigger bike

i have a good head on my shoulders.......know my limits....know not to push it.....always wear gear....yaddayadda

to be honest, big bikes scare me still.....which i kind of like...i want to master something that scares me


im 6'2 155lbs



gimme your opinons
thanks

[CRich[814]]

you seem responsible enough and experienced enough for a 250. personally, i hate them. it feels like a workout after i ride one. they vibrate soo much more than my 125 and speed wobble like crazy. a 250 for those situations would be more desirable than a 125 for the open sections and stuff. bikes are pretty damn reliable. they're not a 400ex, but they aren't that bad. some things that used bikes mostlikely need is just basic stuff. tires, sprockets, chain, top end ($110), and sometimes other smaller things. just go over the bike real well and make sure everything is good. depending on what year 250 your going to get, id go yamaha no matter what unless its a 2000/2001 CR250.

you are light for a 250 though. i weigh about 170 and i still hate them. you might need some suspension work, stock they're set up for someone 190+. i know a guy thats 5'7 and weighs 150, and he throws around his '99 yz250 like its a 50.

[mine]

yep, Rich you sure have come along way, lol you pretty much wrapped it up. other than what he mentioned is if your planning on buying any used bike from 2004 and under, there will be a 99.999 percent chance that it will need atleast $500-$800 worth of work to make it rider friendly, for example when I got my 125, most of the things worked well except it could use,

New sprockets,
chain
rotors (front and back)
brake pads
tranny oil (2 and 4 stroke)
brakes need to bled( front and back)
Topend (mostly 2 strokes)
Motor oil (4srtoke)
Suspension (just springs for the average rider)
Valve adjustment(4-stroke)
New tires
spoke tightening
new grips
fat bars ( Theyre basicly unbreakable, 7/8 bend like butter if u just drop the bike)
Clean filter(air)(oil filter- 4stroke)
Complete diagnostic by a local shop
Grease all beaings,

Im sure theres more im missing but this is all the stuff i do to my bikes when i buy them used. I really dont feel like doing math right now so im just going to say that rounds out to about $1000 dollars extra after buying a new bike.:devil:

Most of the mods i mentioned above are mostly for reliability and safey precautions.

Unless your basicly in a craphole or you find an extreme deal that you cant let down,(like i did for you who know) I would just buy the bike new and bay 80 bucks a month, Unless you like working on the bike and seeing progress as you pay for the work.

Mike

[mine]

as far as the bikes go, the 250's are super powerful, typical 2-stroke that will yank your arms when it hits powerband.I went from a 125 to a 450 so i dont see a problem with you going from a 400ex to a 250 smoker, Just get into the habit of not asking for 10 supreme anymore, your going to have to measure out 3 gallons excact and 3 gallons worth of 2-storke oil. When doing a top end, you minus well d othe bottom. To much compression in the top will put to much prssure on the crank and rod and will eventually blow it out.To get power out of a 125 you have to clutch the living daylight out of it, On a 250 its more of a little snap of the clutch and a little more power. By the sounds of what you liek to ride i would deffinetly not recomend a 4-stroke, You dont want to be left with valves and timing chains. As well as riding in the woods, I really do appreciate my 125 over the 450 in the woods anyday.With dirtbikes make it clear to your self that maintnence is the cheapest insurance. Stay up to date on you oil changes (tranny or engine) and stay up to date on your cleaning of the filters( oil and air)

[ZeroLogic]

If you have no or little seat time on a two stroke bike then I suggest you don't hop on a 250.;)

[GPracer2500]

Originally posted by mine
....When doing a top end, you minus well do the bottom....
^ Interesting word choice. :eek:

But anyway....if a crank is fine there's no need to replace it. It's perfectly reasonable to replace a piston as part of preventative maintenance or just so you know where you stand after purchasing a used bike. But not the crank. Measure the big end side play, look for up/down play, and feel for any roughness in the cranks movement. If it specs out it is fine--no need to split the cases, buy a relatively expensive crank, and replace something that doesn't need replacing. During every top end the big end specs should be checked--it they get to the service limit, replace/rebuild the crank.


I like my 95' CR250R as a low-cost 250 smoker. I use it for duning. Even though it's 12 years old it still gets it done with aplomb--the engine especially. The 92-01 CR250R engines where especially good engines.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/gpracer2500/Dunes/P1070050Medium.jpg

[mxduner]

i'd go with the 250 dinger, they have a smooth powerband that makes it easier to learn to ride.and keep the air filter clean!

[Caseys 300ex]

A local racer and avid rider said that the 94-95 cr250's had one of the best engines built. So id look for one of those.